In its 50-page audit report that goes public today, the Legislative Auditor’s Office said Iberia Parish President Will Langlinais possibly violated the state constitution when he became involved in abusive public works practices that cost taxpayers thousands of dollars during the past six years of his time as president.

The state also found “questionable expense reimbursements” and at least three improper or undocumented “retainer contracts” with local lawyer Shane Romero, longtime parish engineer Wayne LaBiche and facilities manager and architect Gerald Gesser.

The audit states Langlinais also “required, instructed or pressured employees to volunteer” to help him during his re-election campaign golf tournaments, for which he improperly utilized public works directors, chief administrative assistants, purchasing agents, executive and administrative secretaries and public works employees.

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The compliance audit’s findings go online today on the Legislative Auditor’s Web site, 10 months after the office began its investigation into improper financial transactions reportedly made by Langlinais.

Auditors combed courthouse records and interviewed several residents, some council members, former Chief Administrative Officer Simone Champagne, Public Works Director Leroy Landry, current Langlinais assistant JoLynn Fleming and accounts payable clerk Bobbie Verret in an on-site operation that began May 4.

But Langlinais told state auditors through his lawyer “there was no intentional or willful violation of any policies” involving improper financial transactions.

Langlinais explains the findings by placing some culpability on District Attorney Phil Haney as his primary legal counsel, the Parish Council and several others.

The Parish Council, meanwhile, is seeking “monetary recovery and other remedies” for any unauthorized expenditures of public money.

Some findings and the responses from Langlinais and other parties, when offered, all according to the audit report:

Shane Romero, though he was paid $389,557 for legal services rendered for the parish during the four-year period from October 2001 to August 2005, did not “apply the retainer amount as a credit against the amount billed to the parish, despite the fact that the $389,557 provided sufficient funds to do so.”

Langlinais had entered in an “oral contract” for legal services with Shane Romero “without council knowledge or approval.”

“As a result of this contract (for $35,250), Mr. Langlinais may have violated the parish Home Rule Charter,” the report states.

Langlinais told auditors he “inadvertently left out Mr. Romero’s retainer on the contract list requested by the council. The council “approves the budget,” Langlinais said, “and it should have questioned the legal-fee line item.”

Romero apparently has made some reimbursements to the parish and wrote to the auditors in a Feb. 8 letter to Legislative Auditor Steve J. Theriot that “all issues have been addressed” after he met with auditors and “I am thankful this matter is now concluded.”

On Jan. 23, 1986, Wayne LaBiche entered into a contract with Iberia Parish to provide professional engineering services. However, his $650-per-month retainer fee was “not substantiated by supporting documentation nor did the parish require such documentation.” Still, “without proper documentation, the parish cannot demonstrate that Mr. LaBiche provided services equal to his retainer amount of $155,350.”

Gerald Gesser “has never submitted supporting documentation for his monthly retainer,” according to Simone Champagne and Bobbie Verret. Champagne said that at the beginning of 2006, “Molly Bouillion, former financial manager, told Mr. Gesser that the parish would not make future payments without supporting documentation.”

“Since 1994, Mr. Langlinais has used parish employees to assist him with his campaign golf tournament,” the audit states.

In a March 26, 2005, letter to his then-CAO, Champagne — now resigned — Langlinais writes:

“Simone, My golf tournament is right around the corner. Get with everyone and see how things are coming so you can report to me on the day that I come back into the office. We will start to make phone calls pretty SOON, since the flyers have been mailed out. I do not want to wait until the last minute to get this done. Simone, this is a priority to everyone involved and I need your help. If anyone feels like they can’t give me 100 percent, then we will shift gears. You will have to put your involvement on a priority with this one. Also, I want a report on the vendors who will be cooking. Will Langlinais.”

Langlinais explains in the report that “if any person felt pressured, (I) apologize as that was not (my) intent, but (I) recognize that over the past 14 years (my) actions may have been misunderstood.”

He said DA Phil Haney contacted him during office hours and regularly solicited suggestions for his (Haney’s) own golf-tournament fundraiser.

“Not only did the district attorney question Langlinais,” the president’s Lafayette-based lawyers Paul Hebert and K. Wade Trahan write, “but his office staff also requested that Langlinais supply him with his vendor list from which Haney could solicit monetary contributions.”

From June 2002 through August 2005, the parish government provided $156,707 “in parish pipe, dirt, gravel and labor to residents of the parish in possible violation of the state constitution.” About $20,592 of parish pipe (culverts) was provided to 58 council members, “including their immediate and extended family members, employees, friends of parish officials, parish vendors and other local residents.”

The Attorney General’s Office has opined “it was unconstitutional for the parish government to install culverts for the sole benefit of a private landowner,” the audit states.

“Langlinais takes issue with the amount (and cost) of materials identified,” Langlinais states through his lawyers.

From January 2000 through April 2006, “Mr. Langlinais received $26,918 in meal reimbursements, which included $17,558 for meal purchases inside the parish and $9,360 was for meal purchases while traveling outside the parish.”

“Mr. Langlinais may have inappropriately received $7,796,” the audit states.

The Daily Iberian extra: Read the complete parish audit